Possible service interruption at Fort St. John Hospital Easter weekend

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Northern Health says there will potentially be a gap in anesthesiology coverage at the Fort St. John Hospital over the Easter weekend.

The gap will potentially impact maternity services and emergency surgical cases from Friday to Tuesday morning.

“There will continue to be, of course, maternity-trained on-call physicians in the community that can assess patients and determine their plan for care,” said Eryn Collins with Northern Health.

“There will also be maternity-trained nurses in the birthing center 24/7. It’s the availability of anesthesiology support, which is required for unexpected or unpredictable procedures, like c-section, that is the concern.”

Collins says if any expecting mothers in the community feel they need emergency care, they should still call 911 to assess where they can best be supported.

Collins adds that they will continue to secure coverage, but the service interruption is likely over the weekend.

Last weekend, the Dawson Creek Hospital had similar service interruptions.